2021 Frugal Living Challenge

QueenJess

Does anyone else get irritated with children's birthday gifts?

So DS is at nursery and it's quite a big year. Everytime it's someone's birthday they bring in a cake (fine). But then they started also bringing in packs of sweets to put in the children's bags to bring home. That was annoying because we have never bought or given DS any sweets. He has plenty of baked goodies at home instead. To be fair he didn't really like any of them and ended up binning them anyway.

More recently they've moved on to giving out plastic tat. I'm not sure whether that's more or less irritating than the sweets! To be fair the ones today were actually quite good, but I just feel like I'm a bit of a Grinch/misery/stingy for begrudging the whole thing. I just think it is all unnecessary. He's only 4. He'd be perfectly happy with party games.

This evening for instance, we set out a tape measure and made four different paper aeroplanes. We then had a contest with them (best of 3). DS was beside himself with excitement and it took me ages to calm him down for bed! He doesn't need plastic tat or sweets that will be barely used and then binned.

Please tell me it's not just me who thinks that! I do feel it's a bit of a who can outdo each other type thing as well (which I hate). Then the next person has to equal or better it. Could get out of hand very quickly. Luckily DS was absent for his birthday as we pulled him out over lockdown as we were being really careful given I was pregnant at the time.

MazzieD

Thank goodness I bought forward the car service and MOT, it was a major fail again.  My car is very basic and dated compared to newer cars it just has a dashboard with warning lights and the usual radio/cd player, no built in screen with sat navs, assisted parking or whatever.  The engine warning light had stopped working which should have alerted me to the engine problem but I knew there was something wrong that wasn't the battery. 

Thankfully the engine was sorted out as part of the service and just cost £83 extra to get the faulty light fixed and another minor issue to get it through the MOT.  Still got a couple of minor problems to get sorted but I can live with that.   Very relieved   

elbree

That's not too bad @MazzieD, I remember once bring quoted £900 to get a car through an MOT! I cried and cried! Thankfully that car is long gone. I've had quite a spendy month but have kept with all your achievements, whilst feeling a bit guilty. I've bought camping equipment over the month for 3 planned camping trips this summer. Hopefully this is a good investment in future holidays too but has been quite a chunk so will calm down now. Just been paid so will add funds to pots. First camping trip on Tuesday, 🤞for good weather and not too cold at night! 

elbree

QueenJess said:

Does anyone else get irritated with children's birthday gifts?

So DS is at nursery and it's quite a big year. Everytime it's someone's birthday they bring in a cake (fine). But then they started also bringing in packs of sweets to put in the children's bags to bring home. That was annoying because we have never bought or given DS any sweets. He has plenty of baked goodies at home instead. To be fair he didn't really like any of them and ended up binning them anyway.

More recently they've moved on to giving out plastic tat. I'm not sure whether that's more or less irritating than the sweets! To be fair the ones today were actually quite good, but I just feel like I'm a bit of a Grinch/misery/stingy for begrudging the whole thing. I just think it is all unnecessary. He's only 4. He'd be perfectly happy with party games.

This evening for instance, we set out a tape measure and made four different paper aeroplanes. We then had a contest with them (best of 3). DS was beside himself with excitement and it took me ages to calm him down for bed! He doesn't need plastic tat or sweets that will be barely used and then binned.

Please tell me it's not just me who thinks that! I do feel it's a bit of a who can outdo each other type thing as well (which I hate). Then the next person has to equal or better it. Could get out of hand very quickly. Luckily DS was absent for his birthday as we pulled him out over lockdown as we were being really careful given I was pregnant at the time.

Quite agree, I used to put sweets in a 'sweetie pot' and quietly lose them when my daughter had forgotten. When I've done party bags we've chosen a little book each, a pencil, a notebook - that kind of thing so gifts are useful rather than pointless! The lack of 15 birthday parties this year has been quite a nice aspect of lockdown! 

Tightpants24

@QueenJess I totally agree with your comments.  My 2 are now 20 & 16 but when they were little it used to shock me how much rubbish tat they would accumulate.  I am guilty of some of it but I did try to buy from carboots etc and then resell later.  I remember them getting so many presents for Christmas and birthday that there was some stuff never even got used and would be sitting in the cupboard months later.  Recently a family member became a parent and asked for advice.  Mine was to try to ignore the products that are supposedly "essential" for babies and children, buy second hand, and ask for money to save as gifts.  

QueenJess

Phew.. glad it isn't just me. I don't mention it to DH as I'm sure he'll call me a misery! I've already complained so many times...

I've started sweating now just thinking about parties when he gets to school next year. I remember a friend telling me about everyone hiring halls or whatever and inviting their whole class (30 people!). What happened to the good old days of having 6 of your closest friends to your house for games and a tea party?! There's no way I'm taking him to 30 parties every year!

Even without parties I feel like DS gets too many presents between us, 2 sets of grandparents and 2 aunts. I've started to try and control it so everyone gets him one present and he'll get a couple from us and some books. He has so much stuff already and my parents have an attic full of all the toys and books I ever had (which will all be coming my way I'm sure...). Hoping that now I have two it will spread the presents rather than doubling it!

@elbree I would love to quietly lose things, but DS remembers everything, even months later. I do tell him every now and again to go through his things and choose a few things he doesn't want anymore to get rid of, otherwise he won't be able to get anything new. Trying to train him young as I started that at 2! Trouble is, he knows it doesn't go as we boxed it up for DD instead...  I like the idea of useful things in party bags though. Well definitely be stealing that idea next year 🙂

QueenJess

@MazzieD how old is your car? I hate MOTs and services. I always find they are more than I think they should be and it all feels like a big hassle. I guess now my car is coming up to 8 years old I will get more and more things going wrong. 

Luckily I agreed with DH that as he likes cars, he will deal with sorting out the service and MOT for me now (from this year) and I will just pay it. He seems to know the best places to go and not expensive. He also understands what is and isn't necessary to get done. It'll be quicker than me trying to do it and keep consulting him! Now just to convince him to sort out my car insurance too (which I also hate doing with the silly yearly negotiation dance) and then I will have offloaded all the things I dislike doing 🤣

willow_loulou

Ug the whole kids birthday politics! I was over the moon that school banned the bringing in if sweets by the time dd started. I think it’s very inconsiderate of those who cannot afford these extras. I’d actually speak to the school now and try and discourage the idea! I know I’m mean! But kids don’t need sweets! I’d go for stickers instead personally, I still use them with adults tbh lol.

MazzieD

@QueenJess My car is almost 13 years old so a few years older than yours.  I'm really lucky with the garage I use, they are very transparent about pricing and literally do the absolute minimum to get you through the MOT and just advise about the rest. 

I use an online booking system called 'BookMyGarage'.  It's a sort of comparison site for MOT, Service or Repairs.  Not all garages are on it but you get an idea of prices and a discount on MOT if you book a service online at the same time.  I only found out about it because the garage I use are on it.   Think it covers the UK but as usual will depend where you live.

MazzieD

@elbree I wouldn't worry about having a spendy month, camping stuff sounds like a good idea - you aren't frittering the money away.  Having just spent on the car, June is going to be the same, this time it's Road Tax, prefer to pay the whole lot rather than instalments to get it out of the way.  Hopefully that's the major bills out of the way until the Autumn so if I'm really good in the meantime I might still end up somewhere near my yearly budget by the end of the year!.